Lacklustre Cobblers miss chance to climb table as they are edged out at Reading

The home side were the better team in a generally lacklustre first half but Cobblers created the best chance, Ethan Wheatley denied by a good save, and the visitors were also adamant they should have been given a penalty for handball.

But that Wheatley chance was pretty much the only time Town threatened all night long and they were made to pay for one lapse at the back when Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan headed in the decisive goal midway through the second half.

Defeat is hardly a disaster for Cobblers, who have still had a good start to the season, but these toothless, lacklustre performances are becoming something of a concerning trend - that's now three in the last six games after similar efforts against Rotherham and Wycombe.

Kevin Nolan made two changes from the weekend as both Jordan Willis and Michael Jacobs came in for their first league starts of the season, with Conor McCarthy ruled out due to injury and Kamarai Swyer dropping to the bench.

Reading made the slightly better start and on four minutes Ben Elliott blasted a half chance over the bar after a long throw was allowed to bounce twice inside the Cobblers penalty box.

The visitors did have a brief spell of relatively tame pressure but it came to nothing and at the other end they were looking uncharacteristically loose as Reading posed problems down both flanks.

One of several dangerous crosses led to a corner, from which an unmarked Paudie O’Connor saw his header parried away by Ross Fitzsimons, before a break in play allowed Nolan to gather his players and dish out some instructions.

That seemed to do the trick as Cobblers then created the first half’s best chance. Willis fired to the ball into Thorniley and his fantastic first-time flick found Wheatley who took an excellent first touch but couldn’t beat onrushing goalkeeper Jack Stevens.

The subsequent corners almost led to another opportunity but a terrific defensive clearance prevented a tap-in after Sam Hoskins had headed Terry Taylor’s teasing cross back across goal.

The game was starting to open up and Matt Ritchie glanced wide for Reading before Lewis Wing, something of a long-range specialist, connected sweetly from all of 35 yards but Fitzsimons watched it closely and got in the way.

Cobblers could and probably should have been awarded a spot-kick late in the first half when Nesta Guinness-Walker’s deep cross clearly struck Ben Elliott’s outstretched arm in the penalty box but neither the referee nor the linesman spotted it.

Fitzsimons then kept out Daniel Kyerewaa’s fierce effort as Reading finished the half on top but there was to be no breakthrough for either side before half-time.

As the second half started, it felt as if the game was there for the taking for whichever side cut out the mistakes and sharpened up in the final third.

And whilst mistakes and sloppiness continued to dominate, the hosts made the all-important breakthrough on 65 minutes.

The goal was a poor one for Town to concede as a loose ball across their own half found Paddy Lane and he had the time and space to cross for Ehibhatiomhan to nod in.

Reading looked for a quick second and Charlie Savage’s shot deflected wide before Nolan turned to his bench and called for Swyer and Joe Wormleighton.

But there was very little sign of a comeback and the home side should have sealed it with eight minutes to play when Ehibhatiomhan rolled the ball across goal for Mark Mahony but Fitzsimons pulled off a terrific save.

Match facts

Reading: Stevens, Abrefa (Yiadom 64), O’Connor, Williams (Dorsett 74), Jacob, Savage, Wing ©, Elliott (Doyle 64), Ritchie (Kyerewaa 38), Lane (O’Mahony 74), Ehibhatiomhan. Subs not used: Norcott, Burns

Cobblers: Fitzsimons, Willis (Wormleighton 72), Thorniley, Forbes, Hoskins ©, Guinness-Walker (Perkins 88), Campbell, Taylor, Fornah (Edwards 88), Jacobs (Swyer 72), Wheatley. Subs not used: Burge, Avery, Evans,

Referee: Abigail Byrne

Attendance: 9,228

Cobblers fans: 328